Jökulsárlón

People versus icebergs

Wedding day is less than two weeks away!! We are getting married at Jökulsárlón, so we thought we'd tell you a little about it. It's a glacier lagoon, where parts of the Vatnajökull glacier break off into the water (that's the glacier in the back of the picture there).

It's a six hour drive west from Reykjavik, on the other side of Iceland. It's in the middle of nowhere pretty much. The last town we pass is 80 minutes away and has 160 inhabitants. It'll be us and the seals.


A shot from the James Bond movie "Die Another Day"

Also, from the wikipedia entry: "A number of films have had scenes shot at Jökulsárlón, including Beowulf and Grendel, Tomb Raider, Die Another Day (James Bond), Batman Begins and A View to a Kill (James Bond). The lagoon was a waypoint during the first stage of The Amazing Race 6. Good Morning America was broadcast live from Jökulsárlón on November 13, 2006."

They actually froze the lake to drive on it for "Die Another Day", it's not normally frozen.


Leonardo DiCaprio and the polar bear Knut at Jokulsarlon for the cover of Vanity Fair. They probably won't be there for the wedding, but who knows?

When we asked for permission to get married there from the owners, I was under the impression we were the first to ever do so (I have found two other couple online who have taken wedding pictures at Jokulsarlon, but neither were actually married there). Well, here's to breaking new ground!

Things To Do: Markets!

Some more info on Philly, stolen from Lonely Planet and some other place I forgot to write down. But Philadelphia has these great markets, we went to one last time we were there, with all kinds of food stands and fresh yummies.

Reading Terminal Market

Location: 12th & Arch Street

The Reading Terminal Market can trace its origins to early Philadelphia when farmers would sell their produce in the middle of East Market Street. By 1857, the street market was closed by the city as a traffic obstruction and an indoor facility built at the present site. In 1889, the Reading Railroad reached an agreement to build its terminal on the site with provision for the market under its viaduct and immense train shed. The market originally extended for several blocks and included a section that was entirely refrigerated---a remarkable feature of the time.

Over the years, a number of changes have taken place. The Reading Terminal ceased to serve trains in 1984 when an underground station was constructed. The train shed above the market became an entrance for the Pennsylvania Convention Hall. The market itself suffered from the general decline of Philadelphia's fortunes and eventually shrank to its present one block area. In recent years, an urban revival has improved economic conditions at the market that now appears to enjoy full tenancy. One modernization regretted by some was the replacement of the curious century-old fixtures in the restrooms.

At present, one will find a bustling market in an antique setting selling a variety of products, some to be eaten on the spot. Some of the long- time tenants are locally famous vendors of ice cream, clam chowder, etc. Of particular interest to visitors are the Amish and Mennonite vendors, but be warned that they do not work on Sundays.



Italian Market

Location: Washington & Ninth

The country's largest outdoor market, it's where butchers and artisans hawk produce and cheese, homemade pastas, incredible pastries and freshly slaughtered fish and meats, from lamb to pheasant.

Down 9th Street in this area are Pat's & Geno's -- the two most famous cheesesteak places in Philadelphia!

Philadelphia Movies

Being movie buffs, we thought we'd share with you some movies to get you in the Philadelphia spirit. They even include some of our all time favorite films!

The Philadelphia Story is one of my all time favorite movies. I watch it constantly. Not only is about Philadelphia, but also about a wedding! It's an absolute classic, and if you haven't seen it you should! Matt & I resemble Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn right? No?

I know a lot of people honestly like National Treasure and I apologize -- because Matt and I absolutely love this movie because we find it really hilarious!(I even do impressions). But even though we don't think it's a particularly good movie, we are incredibly fond of it. When I've had a bad day, I put it on, and it cheers me up to no end. Whether you like it for the right reasons or the wrong ones, significant parts of this movie take place in Philadelphia! Such as when they find these completely ridiculous 3-d glasses supposedly made by Benjamin Franklin. Awesome.

Rocky is of course tied to the city of Philadelphia. And those famous stairs are like a half mile from our reception site, so you have no excuse not to run up them like a champ!

There is also 1776! Like The Philadelphia Story this was not shot in Philadelphia, but does take place there. This is the all singing, all dancing version of Revolutionary American history. It's a little long, but the songs'll get stuck in your head. Also, young Blythe Danner looks exactly like her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow in this movie!

Witness, starring Harrison Ford, famously takes place almost entirely in Amish country. This movie became a running gag in film school after one week where it was coincidentally shown in almost every class. Screenwriting: here's an example of great screenwriting -- Witness! Cinematography: here's an example of great cinematography -- Witness! Sound: here's an example of great sound - Witness! So if nothing else, you know his film has the USC School of Cinematic Arts seal of approval.

All of the films of director M. Night Shyamalan -- The Sixth Sense being the best and most popular -- take place in Pennsylvania, often in Philadelphia. He lives there and shoots all of his films there.

Kitty Foyle is not a super great movie, but I've found myself watching it several times (so there must be something about it!). It stars Ginger Rogers without her dancing shoes. She won the Oscar for this role. It's a little bit of a downer though - a working woman trying to rise in society, caught between a love for an aristocratic rich fellow, whose family won't accept her and a totally nice Doctor who loves her. It's like the blue collar downer drama version of The Philadelphia Story. Regardless, if you see it's on TCM, it's worth a watch.

Feel free to get in the Philadelphia spirit from your own couch!

Shake Your Groove Thing

Time to think about dancing! For the Reception, we'll be choosing all our songs ahead of time, and while we have a great MC, we won't have a traditional DJ, so you won't be able to request songs while you're there. So if there's a song you like or think would be good, there is a box on the right hand side of the page where you can submit song requests. (It's kind of hiding over there. But if you look at the right hand column you'll see 'reception' 'wedding' 'the aligrady' 'contact us' -- then song requests!)

We're always looking for songs people like to boogie to or songs that have special meaning to our friends and family. We're trying to put together our final list and we would really love some more recommendations!

And remember, when you submit a song, to tell us who it's from!

Things To Do: Philadelphia's Best Museums

There are a lot of museums in Philadelphia, but we hear these are some of the best ones (aside from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which we already covered here).

And in case you know anyone who is looking, they are also some of the most expensive places to host your wedding reception! But probably well worth it for the beautiful and unique spaces they provide.

This is the most obvious museum stop in the city. A great take in and it is conveniently located between the hotel with our hotel block and the Library where our reception is.

Franklin Institute Science Museum
Science Center, 222 N 20th St, Benjamin Franklin Pkwy

The Franklin Institute Science Museum is where hands-on science displays were pioneered; a highlight is the Ben Franklin exhibit. Downstairs in Fels Planetarium, laser rock shows feature the standard Pink Floyd-type sounds. The Mandell Futures Center highlights computers, health issues and environmental problems.

Did you know that if I didn't get into film school I wanted to be an Archeologist? I believe my mother as a young thing also had some interest in becoming an Archeologist-- must run in the family! Well I applied to UPenn, which has one of the best Archeology programs in the country -- but ended up going to USC and meeting Matt -- oh well!

University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
3260 South St, University City

The University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology is Penn's magical museum, containing archaeological treasures from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Mayan peninsula, Greece, Rome and North America. Its fragments of Sumerian script are among the oldest examples of writing ever found.

And I don't know much about this museum, but they have a submarine, so it must be good.

Independence Seaport Museum
btwn Vine & South Sts, 211 S Columbia Blvd, Waterfront

Along the Penn's Landing riverfront area is the Independence Seaport Museum, which highlights Philadelphia's role as an immigration hub. Check out the submarine.

Oh Iceland

Icelandic Horses say Chill Out!

So Iceland is a country that only has 300,000 people. And they seem to be really laid back (which is actually a bit of a detriment when you are trying to get someone to get back to you). This extends to their wedding-related 'red tape'.

So it took a long time for us to understand this, but it seems all you have to do to get married in Iceland is present some forms and things 5 days before your proposed wedding date. Then a week later you can get a certificate that says you were married. The officiant doesn't need to sign anything - you don't need to even show any proof that anything happened! Totally odd!

But we're not going to be there 5 days before we get married, so Matt called and asked - what should we do? Well, in perfect Icelandic laid back style a guy named Baldur replied - just hand the stuff in when you get here.

Well, ok.

So as far as we know, we should be legally married in the end. But it's all a bit laid back.

Frank Furness

I've learned a lot about Philadelphia in planning the Reception, and one of the things I've learned is that I love architect Frank Furness.

(Fisher Library - University of Pennsylvania)

Wikipedia can probably give you a more succinct historical background than I can:

Frank Heyling Furness (1839–1912) was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically-scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Furness was also a Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery during the Civil War.

(Academy of Fine Arts)

Toward the end of his life his bold assertive style fell out of fashion, and many of his significant works were demolished in the 20th century. Among his most important surviving buildings are the University of Pennsylvania Library (now the Fisher Fine Arts Library) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(Physick Mansion - You can hold your wedding here!)

I really like his buildings and spent much time looking them up -- to see which ones are still surviving and what they look like. Several of his buildings are available for Wedding Receptions but none were quite right for our needs.

He particularly designed a lot of railroad stations.

He was the chief architect for Reading Railroad and also designed for B&O Railroad & Pennsylvania Railroad -- names that may be familiar to players of Monopoly.

(The Baldwin School - An all girl's school)

I just like all that Victorian looking stuff. And even though many of his buildings have been destroyed, many of his buildings still exist, and you'll probably run in to one or two while you're in Philadelphia!

Where's the Beef?

Originally, we were going to have beef as part of our menu, because that's just what you usually see on Reception menus. But then upon thinking about it, we decided otherwise.

Matt is a Vegetarian, and largely because of environmental reasons. And the methane produced by cows is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases. We found poultry and fish to be more environmentally friendly (and healthier!).

In the spirit of our food philosophy (yeah, I know, we have a 'food philosophy'), the food is going to be local, in season and organic where ever possible. When food is local and in season, there is less carbon dioxide transmitted in transporting them (because they don't have far to go!).

Yup, we're bringing our California hippie ways to the Philadelphia!



And evidently everyone wants to know what "Mediterranean Gratin" is!

Our caterer had quite a lot of Vegetarian options, but Matt always likes Vegetarian dishes with a good protein. So the protein in this case is lentils and it's served with tomatoes, potatoes, olives and cheese. So if that sounds good to you, then have at it.

But no matter what form of non-beef you're eating, we hope it's all just yummy in the end!

Benjamin Franklin Is Everywhere

Benjamin Franklin is everywhere in Philadelphia. Chances are you will see him. He's the happy ghost that haunts Philadelphia.

Matt loves Ben Franklin. And why not? The man is about as interesting as a human being can be. And obviously, he's very much associated with Philadelphia. If you are also a Franklin aficionado, here's some stops:

Franklin Court is where Ben's house once stood. Now it has this frame and evidently you can look through portals. There is also an underground museum.

Franklin's Print Shop recreates his 18th century printing press.

Pennsylvania Hospital -- Hopefully you won't have to go here, but if you do, it's the country's first hospital and was founded by Benjamin Franklin

University of Pennsylvania-- The country's first university, was also founded by Benjamin Franklin. Busy guy. The campus is lovely, their hall is originally where we wanted to have the reception (it looks like the Great Hall in Hogwarts).

Benjamin Franklin, along with some other notable folks, is buried at Christ Church Burial Ground.

Unsurprisingly, they named half the city after him, such as the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It is a major thoroughfare in Philadelphia, you'll probably be on it at some point - since it goes right by the Free Library.

Also, the Franklin Bridge, which was largest suspension bridge when it was built -- it connects Philadelphia to New Jersey.

And of course, the Franklin Institute - which we totally recommend visiting if you have time. It's a pretty awesome science museum. It's located right next to the Free Library in Logan Square.

And among other things, he signed both Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

Philadelphia is definitely Ben Franklin's town!